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SAVE MONEY ON UTILITIES - Slide Show | Slide 2 of 16

TAKE A FLIER ON FLUORESCENTS

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Compact fluorescent bulbs represent one of the brightest ideas for cooling your electric bill. (Not every CFL produces a warm, candlelight glow. To achieve that effect, look for one with a Kelvin temperature of 2,600 to 3,000.)

Don't let the price of CFLs -- as much as $7 each -- turn you off. The lights not only last ten times longer than incandescents but also save up to $60 in electricity per light over their lifetime.

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VANQUISH THE VAMPIRES

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Appliances that include a clock or operate by a remote, as well as chargers, are sucking electricity even when you're not using them. Of the total energy used to run home electronics, 40% is consumed when the appliances are turned off.
The obvious way to pull the plug on so-called energy vampires is to do just that -- pull the plug.

Or buy a device to do it for you, such as a Smart Power Strip ($31 to $44, at www.smarthomeusa.com), which will stop drawing electricity when the gadgets are off, and pay for itself within a few months.

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INSULATE YOUR WATER HEATER

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Is your coffee mug more insulated than your water heater? The newest electric water heaters have plenty of insulation. But if you have one built before 2004, wrap it in an insulating jacket such as a Thermwell blanket ($20; Amazon.com).
You'll save 10% -- about $30 -- annually on your water-heating bill.

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GO LOW-FLOW

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With a few twists of the wrist, you can save 25% to 60% of the water it takes and 50% of the energy necessary to shower and shampoo you and your family. Install a low-flow shower head, which restricts the water output to no more than 2.5 gallons per minute. The shower heads generally run $10 to $20 a pop (some utility companies give them away) and screw into existing fittings.

Older shower heads send as many as 5.5 gallons per minute down the drain. The new fixtures go as low as 1.5 gpm, saving 7,300 gallons and $30 to $100 a year over their 2.5-gpm counterparts.

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TAKE CARE WITH YARD CARE

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Water your outdoor plants in the early morning, before the sun can burn off moisture. And take care not to over-water. Before starting your sprinkler, step on the grass. If the blades spring back, hold off on watering for a day or two. The average lawn needs only one hour of watering a week.

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BE A DRIP

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For gardens, consider installing a drip irrigation system, which maintains moisture in the soil. Drip irrigation can reduce water loss by 50% to 60% when compared with hand-watering or sprinkler systems.

A drip system consists of a tube or hose with holes or emitters along it. It uses a timer to deliver water to plants. By maintaining the moisture level of the soil, less water is lost to the sun and the wind.

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SAVE MONEY ON UTILITIES - Slide Show | Slide 16 of 16

RETROFIT YOUR FAUCETS

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Consider faucet aerators -- doohickeys that screw into your faucet threading and cut the water flow from 3 to 4 gallons per minute to as little as a half-gallon. As their name suggests, aerators blend water and air, reducing the flow without sacrificing pressure. At 50 cents to $3 apiece, the devices are some of the cheapest green gadgets available.

Aerators come in a range of flow rates. A faucet that flows at 1 gpm gets is fine for the bathroom faucet. But for a little more oomph in the kitchen, use an aerator with a flow rate of at least 2 gpm.